A Most Unlikely Shadow
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Do you fear death? Do you fear that dark abyss? All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished? No? Are you afraid of the dark? Do you fear it and all the unsightly horrors lurking there? I was born in the dark; molded by it. By the time I learned what fear was, it was already far too late for me. So I'll fight. One last time. True Archer. Narutoxharem. May be rated M later.
1. A Most Unlikely Shadow

**A/N: *EDIT***

**BEHOLD THE TROLLS!**

**Do you guys really want to make me cry?**

**Look at the bloody reviews for this story if you don't believe me. I'm done. So, unbelievably done. What's the point in writing when half the bloody review count is flames?! This shit is driving me crazy! That's it! I've had it! T_T Why am I doing this shit if I just get lambasted for it and no one bothers to review; no, everyone just jumps on the flaming bandwagon and tries to tear me down.**

**I...just wanted...to make people happy...**

**So****!**

**Here!**

**DOUBLE UPDATE!**

**BEHOLD YOUR TRUE ARCHER! ****Not the false one in the Prisma Illya-verse. ****If you get Dracula Untold vibes from this, good. Its intentional. ****Now then, once again, here's True Archer. A deadly Servant, fierce as hell.**

** WARNING!**

**THIS. GETS. VERY. DARK.**

**IT MAY BE RATED M LATER FOR A REASON!**

**ALTERNATE UNIVERSE APPROACHING!**

**SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF AND EXPECT...THEMES.**

**Because people said Fate is supposed to be dark. Supposed to be gritty. Little bits of happiness to be sure, but on the whole, the Nasuvserse LOVES screwing with people. Nearly every single hero in the Throne has a tragic backstory of some sort; a warped legend to make your blood curl.**

**And since SOMEONE said I wouldn't do it; well. I had to.**

**Also, getting a lot of flak and angry words. Someone *that was the tag they left* keeps saying that each Naruto I write has no personality and that I recycle concepts from my stories. As they're anonymous and I can't respond to them, I feel this is the only way I can address them:**

_"I'm sorry._

_You're right. I need to do better-no! I HAVE to do better. __But what good does tearing me down do? That just perpetuates the cycle of violence. __If you don't like my stories, then I understand. You don't have to read them but you have made your voice heard loud and clear. __Can't we just agree to leave one another alone and let bygones be bygones? __I thank you for your time and words of criticism._

_You have been heard, my friend."_

_Warm regards,_

_~Nz._

**Now buckle up, cause we goin' on a FEELS trip! Ready? Set! Go!**

**Reviews are love. Reviews are life. Reviews make me strive.**

**As ever, this will be gone in **_two days_ **if folks don't like it.**

**References are glorious and I own nothing~!**

**Davy Jones and Bane are glorious.**

**As are others, of course.**

**And the quote says all:**

**Sorry if its short~!**

_"I don't fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks. I fear the man who practiced one kick 10,000 times."_

_~Bruce Lee._

**A Most Unlikely Shadow**

_Do you fear death?_

_ Do you fear that dark abyss? _

_All your deeds laid bare, all your sins punished?_

_No? __Fair enough I suppose. Some are too foolish to fear death. Many live their lives in blissful ignorance, woefully unaware of that dark specter hanging over them. Others...others are brave. They laugh at danger, they walk right up to the Reaper and spit in his face, they barrel right through that fear; either with raw grit, Determination, or sheer bloody will. So you say you don't fear death. I commend you for that much, at least. You must be exceptionally brave. I'd tip my hat to you, if I had one. But I have another question for you._

_Do you fear the dark?_

_You do? Tell me, why is that?_

_Why do men fear shadows, but not death?_

_Imagination._

_Even the most hardened soliders think twice when they step into that inky blackness. They can't help themselves; because t__errible things live in the dark. Horrible, unspeakable things. Monsters. Terrible, cosmic horrors. I should know. I've seen them. Eldritch abominations that would make your mind melt through your ears and leave behind little more than a gibbering wreck. Entities beyond the pale, beings capable of tearing universes to pieces, had they but the will to do so. I fear the shadows. I fear death, and the pain it brings._

_You see, I was born in the dark. Molded by it._

_I didn't see daylight until I was a man. By then the light was simply blinding._

_And I decided, I didn't like the light. Too bright. Too painful Too...fake. That's all light is you see; the absence of darkness._

_That's how my story started._

_The Nara clan took me in when I was just a boy, preventing me from becoming an orphan, preventing me from being killed by angry villagers, preventing...so much more. And yet because of them, everything became so much worse. They raised me like one of their own. I even had a brother in a sense with Shikamaru by my side. __That should've helped. Should've made things better. It didn't. I learned to use their unique shadow jutsu-which shouldn't have been possible in the first place-but I went beyond it. I learned...so much more._

_Because I wasn't naive._

_They used their shadows to strangle, to paralyze._

_I used mine to smother. To break buildings. Minds. People._

_I learned to use it as a projectile, to carve off darkness and fire it like a missile._

_And as my shadows sharpened, so too did my mind. I was never a genius, but I learned. Gods, did I learn._

_Think on this for a moment; w__hen you grow up in a clan full of geniuses, you don't stay dense for very long. You can't. No matter how much you might want to._

_I always saw how others looked at me outside of the clan; at first, I wasn't able to put together the pieces. I didn't want to. I was just a boy. But as I grew older and stronger, I began to realize something. Everyone was... skittish around me; not just because of my name or the clan protecting me, but because of something else. Someone else. Eventually, a loud-mouthed Chunin known as Mizuki let it slip. He wasn't able to fail me out of the Academy, not with my grades, but he found...other ways to be cruel. Petty ways, small ways, until finally he got bold enough-or drunk enough-to attack me in broad daylight._

_I broke his nose and three of his limbs with my shadows._

_He told me._

_And then I knew._

_My entire life felt like a lie._

_Everyone had seen, everyone had known, and yet...!_

_I snapped his neck and went to the Third for answers. I got them._

_And._

_They._

_Broke. Me._

_My parents-bah!-died to trap a monster inside me. I never had the chance to ask. Never got the opportunity to say no. And everyone. Lied. To me._

_Son of the Fourth Hokage? Heir of the Yellow Flash? Why would I care about that?! They lied to me! They left me! My so-called "family" kept the truth from me, smiling all the while! My own brother! Don't give me that! I don't want your excuses Shikamaru's a freaking prodigy! No way in hell he didn't figure **something **out. And he said nothing!_

_The mind of a teenager is a fragile thing, mine even more so._

_When I left, when I spat in Sarutobi's face, well...my sole regret was that I didn't have a camera._

_They chased me of course, but they never found me. I was far too clever for that by half. I put as much distance between us as I could._

_There was no salvation for me after that. No kindness. I died as I lived, roaring into battle. What's that? Savage, you say? Perhaps. I live by my instincts; nothing more, nothing less. If I don't like someone, I kill them. If I want to save someone, I save them. If I see something shiny, I take it. That's the way I was raised. I taught myself to think. To speak. To read. No one was there for me. Everything I have, everything I ever owned, I took, be it by force of cunning. There was no tragic backstory for me that wasn't born of my own volition. I left. I slept in a ditch and hunted game where I could find it._

_I gave no one my allegiance; I did what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted._

_Until everyone got the bright idea to start hunting me._

_They...really shouldn't have done that._

_See, that's the thing about the shadows. When you know them, truly know them, they get a bit...clingy. Possessive, even. Everyone in the Nara clan was always so careful when it came to using their techniques. Never too much, never too fast, never too far. Not me. In my arrogance, I barreled headlong into them and I paid the price. They dole out their secrets happily enough, but from the moment you learn them, you belong to them. You become a conduit for them, a portal in. I learned that lesson the hard way, delved into the blackest pit, and came back with forbidden knowledge. What was the price, you ask? My life._

_My first death came when I was fourteen. I took several fire jutsu straight to the face._

_Hours later, I crept into my killer's camp and strangled him in his sleep. Bastard._

_ At sixteen, a squad of Danzo's so-called "elite" managed to cut me down._

_I rose right up and dragged each of them all shrieking into the abyss._

_At eighteen, Akatsuki ripped the bastard fox out of my body._

_In all honesty, I was glad to be rid of him; I never liked the furry bastard and he never liked me. He cursed me and I cursed him; even knowing that our separation would kill me, I still wanted him gone. It hurt. That pain obliterated all others before it; an agony that scarred my very soul. But it only hurt once. And I never felt that pain again. I would come back. He wouldn't. __His passing made more room for the shadows._

_And the shadows swallowed Akatsuki._

_These so-called "elite" ninja; the baddest of the bad, strongest of the strong, smuggest of the smug. They overwhelmed me with numbers that first time, beat me down with sheer volume. They had surprise and timing on their side. As to the second...well. It didn't end the way they expected. I suppose I'll tell the tale. They died screaming-save a damn Uchiha who escaped-and I took all their strength, their abilities, their very jutsu, for my own. Some fought, and some begged. It made no difference in the end._

_None at all._

_ You see, strength__ means nothing in the face of darkness. Multiple bodies? Fodder. Multiple hearts? So much meat for the grinder. A body of paper? Mine was more shadow than flesh by then. Immortality? What does that mean when your soul is sundered from your body? Explosions? Annoying, if only for their light. Puppets? Kindling. You cannot poison the darkness. A chakra stealing sword? I wasn't using chakra by then, but I took it for myself regardless. The shark was devoured like a minnow in the ocean. Intangibility? Useful perhaps, but it did little more than buy Tobi time. Zetsu was last. I burned him out, root and stem._

_The shadows don't care about your plots or plans. _

_To them?_

_You're just food._

_Fuel in the proverbial tank._

_I didn't expect to keep coming back; each time I feared it would be the last. __It hurt like hell when I went into that abyss. The pain, the agony. Each time I tumbled into that void, something sent me back. But dying strips your sense of self away. I controlled the shadows. Then they started controlling me. Influencing my thoughts. They brought me back time and again, but each time I lost a part of myself. It made me stronger. Stripped away my doubts and hesitations. Cleared my mind. I learned an important lesson from them._

_Life is cruel. _

_Why should the afterlife be any different?_

_Eventually, one of my deaths stuck. For real, this time._

_I was offered a choice. A chance to postpone my judgement. One hundred years of service before the Throne._

_Saber? No. Don't much like using a sword. Lancer? Fuck's a lance? Assassin? I don't think so. My life was never about killing. Some said it came easy to me. I disagree. It just...came. Caster? Nope. Berserker? Now that one's a little tempting. I did lose myself a few times on the way. Ah, the stories I could tell. Shielder? Pssh. I never hid behind a piece of metal. Shields mean nothing. I never became a Beast. I was never given a mark, never touched by a god, never had my mind break into a thousand pieces. Yet I need a class, you say? Find one that suits me, then._

_Archer?_

**_There you go._**

_Anything can be thrown. Anything is a weapon, right down to the very air you breathe. Your blood. Your body. Your mind. Your shadow. Even your soul. They can all be used against an opponent. That's right. I learned to weaponize the SOUL. Lets see a Caster do that. Every part of me became a weapon, but I was never a weapon. Do you see where I'm going with this yet? It was never about killing for me; it was about being left alone, a way to die and stay dead. Yet I couldn't do either, and so killed and killed and kept on killing everyone who raised arms against until nothing within a hundred miles would come near me. _

_Only one person managed to do that. She died._

_Damnit, Karin. Why didn't you listen? I told you to listen._

_If there was one thing I regretted, one bump on the wild ride that is life, it would be that._

_I TOLD her to stay away. I pushed her. Shoved her. Shouted at her. But she didn't listen. Everyone around me dies. Why couldn't she understand that? She made it all of a year before my bad luck got her; she didn't die well. I still have nightmares about that day. __But beyond that? I feel...nothing. Why should I? __I had one hope in life. Just one. __It died with her. __Now?_

_I._

_Am._

_Death._

_Give me a Master who knows that._

_Give me a Master who hath seen the void._

_Give me a Master who has stared into the abyss._

_That's all I ask. I don't mind waiting until that time comes._

_Tell you what, Throne, if you can find one, I'll gladly serve them to the end of my days._

* * *

(...0o0o0...)

* * *

The light burned.

"Silver and steel, the essence." Kairi Sisigou chanted stoically, willing the silent circle before him to stir. "Let stone and the archduke of contracts, be the foundation. Red, the color I pay tribute to."

Moments ago, the graveyard had been dead to both him and the world. Dull, and devoid of light in the night. Now it sprang back to life all at once. As though someone had thrust a blazing iron poker into the embers of a dying fire, so too did the ritual ignite, banishing the darkness for miles in ever direction. It was a brilliant show of light and power; a towering crimson pillar swelling to be seen and heard by any who dared bear witness. A beacon of hope against the dark and all the terrors it held.

It did not last long.

"I hereby propose." he swore, raising his voice to be heard above the unending roar, "Swear your fealty to me, and my life shall be your sword." a shadowy stain spread forth from the circle, but he paid it no heed as he felt his magic circuits begin to simmer and seethe. "If you abide by the Grail's summons and follow thine own laws, then heed my call!" The stain was now a black hole, actively swallowing all light, sucking up every bit of mana he offered it and more. "From the Seventh Heaven," the words choked in his throat as he fought to finish, as he fought not to collapse, "Wielding three words of power, come forth from this circle of binding!"

There was no light now.

Only darkness, large and looming.

A hand cold as ice closed around his throat.

Still, the scarred magus willed himself say the final five words.

_"Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"_

Something snapped.

There could be no other word for it; one moment there had been a hand around his throat; in the next, that crushing pressure fell away. Air rushed into the void and he forced himself to cough, to inhale. To breathe. When he propped himself up on his elbows he thought heard...laughter? A faint, distant sound of footsteps paced away from him, barely heard among the ringing in his ears.

And then he saw.

And then he knew them.

And then he realized what he'd done.

The Necromancer swore softly as the light faded. "Oh, son of a bitch."

He hadn't been able to secure a proper catalyst for the Ritual, so he'd trusted it to Fate instead. Whatever he'd called to this plane had nearly killed him before being bound. Even now he felt icy waves of killing intent all but stabbing at him, testing his mettle, his resolve, his purpose. All the night seemed darker for their presence, their body a veritable pit that swallowed all light.

And yet for all the fear he'd felt a moment ago, he couldn't bring himself to cut the contract. Not yet.

For that was undoubtedly a Servant standing before him, a being steeped in shadows.

At first glance, he almost appeared normal...if you ignored the eyes.

Spirits, what had he summoned?

They were black, blue irises set against shadowy sclera. His was a lean face underneath the hood, those cold orbs framed by whiskered cheeks and shaggy blond hair, a mess many only narrowly held in check by a strip of burnt crimson cloth tired around his forehead. His clothes seemed more shadow than cotton, rippling and shifting as he moved. That wasn't a body he'd call malnourished, but...what was the word? Wiry? Yes, that was the one he was looking for. Steeped in a cloak of living shadows with only his face and hands visible, the newcomer regarded him with quiet cynicism.

"Servant, Archer." his voice was flat, colder than the grave itself. "I have responded to your summons, Necromancer."

He considered him for a long, pressing moment in utter silence.

"Now, then." the young man asked softly of him.

Eyes like death bored into his very soul.

_"Are You My Master?"_

He had to answer.

...yeah. I am."

That was it?! That was the best he could muster?! What kind of half-baked, lackluster response was that supposed to be?! Behind his stern countenance the scarred magus groaned internally at his mental slip. He'd meant to come off as aloof, yet those crystal blue eyes only regarded him with further scrutiny. But he-Archer-made no move to attack, so the Necromancer didn't either. One hand ever-so-subtle rose to his marked wrist with an easy grace, preparing a Command Spell in case of treachery-

"Those Marks offend me." when the Servant spoke again, he nearly flinched. "Remove them from my sight."

Reluctantly, the Necromancer did as he'd been bade.

He wasn't sure why.

Archer stepped forward, and the shadows stepped forth with him as though he were their lord. Sisigou watched the Servant keenly, marked hand at his back, yet ready to spring forth at the slightest provocations. Blast it all. He'd been hoping-praying-for a Saber. Not...this. How did this young man even qualify as an Archer? He saw now bow anywhere in sight. Only shadows. Only those keen blue eyes. Yet something in his very soul swore otherwise, insisting that this was indeed a marksman, for all appearances.

"What kind of man comes to a graveyard in search of hope?" Archer asked. "Well? Answer me."

"A desperate one." Sisigou retorted. "I want to win this Grail war-no, I have to win it."

"Oh?"

Those feverish blue eyes narrowed into hooded slits, considering him as one would a passing ant, one he might crush at any time. When he finally smiled, the Necromancer glimpsed teeth, sharp teeth that had no business being in a human body. He walked like a human. Even talked like one, for the most part. But knew at once that this Servant wasn't what he appeared. He was something...worse. A ghost. An apparition. A creature bound up in the Grail by chance perhaps. Something not to be trifled with lightly.

"And why is that?" Archer's voice was a rusty chuckle.

His first instinct was to lie, to deflect the attention of this creature.

And so he did. "I want to win it for the fame, of course. Its a passion of mine-GURK?!"

Clawed fingers locked around his throat and hoisted him upright in the same instant, slamming his back against a particularly large grave. Stone shattered at his touch, splintering like so much rotten driftwood, and Kairi found his shoulders grinding painfully against another in short order. And another. Another still. Another. Archer bashed him through three more before he finally ceased; leaning to bring those blazing blue eyes to bear upon him, that vicious gaze dominated his vision, filling the Necromancer with dread.

"The truth, now." the Servant purred. "Lie to me again, and I'll feed your limbs to you."

And so he told him; the truth, why he was here, what he wanted. Everything.

In return, the Servant told him something else. "Naruto."

_"What?"_

"My name is Naruto. Tell me, Do you fear death?" he inquired. "Are you afraid of the dark and all its horror?"

He was going to kill him if he lied. Sisigou knew this; saw in those cold eyes. All around him the shadows writhed, shifting in the air, in the ground, in the graves. At the slightest provocation, at the merest deception, they would attack. How fortunate then, that he couldn't bring himself to lie in the face of this new horror he'd summoned. And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lone Necromancer. Thus his fate was changed.

"Am I afraid of the dark?" A quiet shudder shook Sisigou's shoulders despite his best efforts. "Yes._ Immeasurably."_

It was the right answer, for Naruto's grin only grew.

A hand like ice found Kairi's shoulder.

And the shadows receded.

_"You'll do."_

**A/N: As ever, I own no references or quotes.**

**There. Now you have True!Archer!Naruto, in all his grisly glory.**

**Ohohohoho I am going to have FUN with this story, you have no bloody idea.**

**Its also a chance for me to introduce the prime Servants I've been holding back for this very moment.**

** Aye, like Avenger, this Naruto is an alter. The difference being he's not afraid to murder the ever-loving shit out of someone. He's...Chaotic neutral at best. Not a vampire, but he doesn't like the light, not int he least.**

**Next chapter will be better and longer.**

**NO this Naruto isn't the villain I've been promising, but he's not very nice. Lets see if Papa Sisigou can bring him back to the light, eh? I know, I know, he didn't summon Mordred in this story. Hurts me to do that. HOWEVER! I didn't say she was gone now, did I? Archer Atalanta, however, isn't in this story. She has a starring role in others, and...well. That would be telling now, wouldn't it? Still, I don't want to cheapen characters by flinging them all over the place. **

***whistles innocently***

**Reviews are life, Reviews make me strive, Reviews Keep Me Alive.**

**So, in the Immortal and Eternal words of Atlas...**

**...Do Leave A Review...would you kindly? **

**And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**You want slaughter?**

**You'll get it.**

**(Preview)**

_"Men do not fear swords, Master of mine." Archer snarked. "They fear monsters. They run from them. Sometimes...that's what it needs. __Fight evil with evil. Dark against dark. Madness vs. Madness. __For the night is dark and full of terrors." Archer snarked back, his smile revealing entirely too many teeth. "I am that terror. Command me, and I will be a plague upon your enemies."_

* * *

_"What are you?"_

_That ghastly face leaned closer._

_"I," it began coldly, "Am the solution."_

_The enemy Servant barely had time to croak before seven shadowy missiles skewered them from head to toe._

_Archer's smile was death itself, cold and unflinching._

_Sisigou whistled softly. "Well. That's one way to do it. __One down."_

* * *

_"Berserker?"_

_A blond brow rose._

_"No, **I'm** Archer. **You're** Berserker."_

_Atalanta laughed then, and it sounded almost like...a sob?_

_"You idiot...look at you. Just what happened to you in your lifetime?"_

_To his complete, unutterable dismay, his fellow alter stepped forward, grabbed his face...and kissed him._

**_*EDIT* What? I did say ARCHER Atalanta isn't in this. I MADE NO SUCH PROMISES FOR BERSERKER!ATALANTA! BRING ON THE MADNESS!_**

* * *

_"Don't die. I need you alive."_

_"Aw, never knew you cared, kid."_

_...I will stab you. Right here. Right now."_

_"Can't do that, remember? If I die, you go back to the throne."_

_The shadows swirled and for a fleeting moment, Kairi wondered if he'd shoot him._

**R&R! =D**


	2. A Most Unlikely Slaughter

**A/N: Well, the latest chapter for A Most Unlikely Caster didn't go over well.**

**Had to delete a LOT of anonymous flames telling me to kill myself.**

**Fun stuff when you're sick.**

***EDIT***

**Afraid to take risks, am I?**

**This chapter should answer that question in spades. I've been spending a lot of time playing FGO, but I haven't let it disrupt my daily update schedule. Its been a near thing a couple of times, but I'm still at it; of course it helps that I got Saber Alter and Artoria Alter. Not even gonna try to roll for Merlin. Nope! Saving my quartz for the big guns.**

**BEHOLD THE TROLLS!**

**Do you guys really want to make me cry?**

**Look at the bloody reviews for this story if you don't believe me. They're buried now, but they're still there. I'm done. So, unbelievably done. What's the point in writing when half the bloody review count is flames?! This shit is driving me crazy! That's it! I've had it! T_T Why am I doing this shit if I just get lambasted for it and no one bothers to review; no, everyone just jumps on the flaming bandwagon and tries to tear me down.**

**I...just wanted...to make people happy...**

**So****!**

**Here!**

**Shadow!Naruto's a right blast to write, in part because I don't have to hold back with him.**

**Reviews are love. Reviews are life. Reviews make me strive.**

**As ever, this will be gone in **_two days_ **if folks don't like it.**

**References are glorious and I own nothing~!**

**Sorry if its short, but I'm still really sick.**

_"You think you know what the dark is?"_

_...you have no idea._

_But you will."_

_~?_

**A Most Unlikely Slaughter**

_"I'm going out, Master."_

The Necromancer frowned. "By yourself?"

A rusty chuckle answered him. "Is that a problem?"

Sisigou looked up from his materials as the words echoed in the crypt, frowning while they folded endlessly in on themselves. At a glance, he could barely see Archer at all near the entrance; the young man's body seemed to blend back into the shadows a little...too well. If it weren't for those burning eyes or his announcement just now, he wouldn't have noticed him at all. He'd been silent for the better part of a day since his summoning; only as the sun set did he unbend enough to speak. That was the problem in the first place. He wasn't prepared to leave. His reserves were still treacherously low, even now.

"I'm just scouting." as though sensing his fear, his Servant's dulcet tones reassured him from the dark. "If I encounter an enemy Servant, I'll kill them."

The smallest of smiles tugged at the corner of his mouth. "That confident, are you?"

"No." the whiskered warrior's voice turned flat. "Just certain."

With that, he sketched a bow to depart.

"Men do not fear swords, Master of mine." Archer snarked, turning his back on him. "They fear monsters. They run from them. Sometimes...that's what the world needs. Fight evil with evil. Dark against dark. Madness vs. Madness. For the night is dark and full of terrors." he smiled over his shoulder, a grim grin revealing entirely too many teeth. "I am that terror. Stick with me, and I will be a plague upon your enemies. Don't die while I'm away, either I need you alive."

"Aw, never knew you cared, kid."

...I will stab you." came the growl. "Right here. Right now."

"Can't do that, remember?" Sisigou smirked. "If I die, you go back to the throne."

For a fleeting moment the shadows swirled an Kairi wondered if he'd shoot him, but Naruto merely vanished instead.

The grizzled magus blinked at the the blond's abrupt absence. "Huh. Neat. Wonder how he does that? I'll have to ask him sometime...

* * *

_(..0o0o0...)_

* * *

Fear is a matter of perspective.

When you sacrifice that perspective for the sake of power, life begins to lose its meaning. Fear shackles us, but it also keeps us safe from harm. Sane. Like pain, it warns us when we're in danger. Our body instinctively responds to peril and shies away when faced with suicidal tactics. Its simply human nature. We don't like to be hurt. We don't like danger. We run from it, dread it, try to escape it. But what happens when you stop feeling that sensation? How do you live life without fear? If so, who are you? What are you?

_What indeed?_

Naruto found himself pondering this for a moment as he slipped into the darkness again and became one with the shadows, literally and figuratively. He merged with them, sinking into the black as though it were naught but a deep, dark pool of water. The world always lost its color for him whenever he did this, but that was fine. He didn't need color to kill. In a heartbeat he left the crypt behind and slipped out of town completely, moving further and further into Black Faction territory, wholly undetected on this cloudy night.

During the day this might have proved problematic.

He was no vampire to be sure, but there could be no denying that his body was weaker during the day. Sunlight tended to...disagree with him and the shadows he played host to. He could still fight with the best of them when pressed, but not at his full potential. Not here. Not now. This was the night. This was his element. Here, he was king.

_A Most Unlikely Shadow._

Just thinking of that exasperating title made him scoff.

Wrapping the darkness around himself like a shroud, Naruto reemerged in the first town he found and stretched his senses out like a net. He wasn't as suited to the Archer class as he might've liked; even as an Alter, even with this mental pollution and corruption staining his soul, he simply didn't enjoy the idea of long-range combat. No; though he loved this class not, there was no denying that, given his past, he was well-suited for it. Keen eyes and razor aim were his weapons here; effortlessly allowing him to detect potential prey.

And that had been before he devoured the Akatsuki and took their abilities as his own.

He couldn't end the war in one night-unlike another Archer-but he was confident enough in his skills to wreak havoc behind enemy lines. Thus far, he hadn't found anything intriguing enough to make this foray worthwhile, but that would soon change. The shadows within him were growing restless. Hungry. He needed to find something to distract himself and soon, before he-

A distant speck of movement caught his eye and he blurred towards it.

Sure enough, his patience was rewarded as he scaled a rooftop to find the cause. There. In the streets. A squad of homonculus, near two dozen strong if one didn't count their golems. Sisigou had mentioned that the Black Faction had hordes of disposable soldiers to command. They like had hundreds of them waiting in the wings to replace any they lost. They'd make a decent enough meal; but the true weight of his attention was reserved wholly for the Servant commanding them. What the devil was that thing?

A centaur?

It certainly looked like one.

Whatever it was, it was a Servant. He could see the bow in its hand, feel its strength from here. An Archer. How very...ironic. If he weren't concealing his own presence, he was certain they would've seen him by now. But why was it-he?-even here at all, much less accompanying a squad of disposable soldiers? Had another Servant been raiding this town, perhaps? By the look of their taut faces and the flat, stoic expression the made up the whole of Archer of Black's face, he suspected that might well be true. Bah. Not his concern. They were certainly looking for...something, something that wasn't him.

Such a pity that they'd found him instead.

Exhaling deeply, he sank back into the void and slithered down the side of a wall. Part of him wanted nothing more than to obliterate this lot with one of Kakuzu's or Pein's tricks, but caution stayed his hand. This called for a more...direct approach. A first-and last!-strike that no one would see coming. By the time they noticed it would be far, far too late. With a thought, he slipped behind the lot of them. Then beneath their very feet-silently binding his shadows with theirs in his wake-as he crept up behind Archer. They and their golems were his, now; they simply didn't know it yet. This was a trick he couldn't use often, but it would suffice for the time being.

He went for the Servant first.

Chiron never saw him coming; indeed, he wasn't expecting a shadowy assault at all. He'd been prepared to fend of a feral Berserker, not the cold calculated strike of someone hailing from the same class as he. Naruto had not been far off that mark in that regard. They weren't hunting him at all. He was hunting them. Of course, neither Archer had any way of knowing what was about to transpire. Who in their right mind thought to send out an Archer out after a Berserker anyway? Naruto permitted himself another grim smile as he gathered his energy, coiled the darkness around him...and...

When he struck, he did so swiftly and silently; he didn't lunge at all.

_...he pulled._

To his credit, Chiron reacted flawlessly; he snapped back a kick the moment he felt killing intent. Such a shame his true attacker had never truly been behind him to begin with. Indeed, that poor puppeteered homonculus died nearly instantaneously as twin hooves crushed his chest. But by then his fellows were already lunging, a teeming mass of homonculi and golems descending upon Archer of Black in a single teeming mass. Even as he overextended himself in that frantic back-legged kick, one or two of them even managed to land a few blows before he dispatched them.

This didn't kill Chiron, of course; no heroic spirit worth their salt would die to cannon fodder such as these. Just as Naruto could never control a Servant's shadow; that had never been his intention.

It was a distraction, nothing more.

Chiron dispatched most of his attackers within nine seconds.

For one of the Archer class, that was all the time in the world and more.

He was only just beginning to turn-to face the roof-when heaven and earth erupted into shadowy death. Dozens of inky black blades burst from the shadows, skewering the unprepared Archer from head to toe. There was no time to react, no time to realize what was happening; by the time Chiron realized he'd been wounded it was already over. He staggered against his injuries, tried to stumble way, only to fall prey to another attack. In a single seamless movement his foe fired off a quartet of shots, one for each of Chiron's feet, pinning him in place. All he saw was shadow, a figure rearing up in the dark.

No.

Not here.

Not like this.

He saw his death coming for him, and despite his ruined arms, tried to lift his bow. The enemy-for that was all he could think of them as-ripped it from his hands and cast it away. Smoldering eyes darker than any shadow or any pit gazed placidly back at him. The owner of said eyes manifested a bow of their own as he looked on, silently drawing back the string.

"What are you?"

That ghastly face leaned closer.

"I," it began coldly, "Am the solution."

Its smile was death itself, cold and unflinching.

Chiron barely had time to croak before seven ebony missiles skewered them from head to toe.

Then the teeming mass of shadows went to work of their own volition, devouring the dissolving mass before the throne could fully lay claim to what remained. Some of it escaped; a horrific experience recorded and sent back for the original to remember. The rest was fuel. Naruto didn't mind. He had what he came for. One down. In record time at that. A backstabbing strategy like that wouldn't succeed against a Rider or, gods forbid, a Saber. Blind bloody luck had won the day, and with this meal, the voices in his head would recede for the time being.

Sisigou whistled softly through their shared link_. "Well. That's...certainly one way to do it. Good job."_

"I'm so glad you agree with my methods." Naruto hummed. "Now, then..time for desert."

Humming softly, he rounded on the remaining homonculi.

Then he swooped down on these remaining enemies.

The rest of them-freed now from his control-tried to hide behind their golems. It didn't save them. He ripped and tore through them as one would a paper bag. And when it was done, they, their weapons, their energy, all of their existence, joined him in the shadows. Nothing remained, save the idle bloodstain and the sundered street. No one would know what had happened here. All told, it was shaping up to be a very productive evening indeed. Yes, he could almost admit that he was satisfied with this outcome...

"Don't move." A woman's rough voice hissed in his right ear.

...until someone used his own tactics against him.

He didn't even sense his attack until the clawed point of hand pressed itself against the base of his spine; he'd been too distracted by his meal. His shadows were bloated and sated, not as aware as they should have been, in hindsight. The fault was entirely his. That didn't dull the shame of realizing he'd been had. Someone had been here, watching him, waiting for him to finish his fight. Then they'd turned his own strategy on its head. Well enough to impress him at that. He had no doubt that the slightest pretense of movement on his part would result in a severed spine. Which in turn left him in a bit of a pickle.

There were many things he could heal from, but that? That wasn't one of them. Which meant-

"Red or Black?"

The inquiry was so sudden; so abrupt, that he found himself momentarily taken aback. Another hand locked around his neck, clawed fingers digging painfully into his skin. Reluctantly, he sent a command to the shadows concealing him and willed them to drop the shroud and reveal himself in his entirety. He felt his captor stiffen behind him in response, heard her suck in a sharp breath of surprise, though he knew not why. Regardless, it didn't change the fact that her clawed hands on him slackened. He sensed an opportunity, but he daren't take it.

He answered:

Naruto grunted. "Red."

"Class?" she pressed harder. Oh for the love of...!

"Archer." he forced the word out through his own gritted teeth.

"Berserker." came the immediate counter. "Know this; if you're lying, I'll kill you."

"I'm not." he hissed on a rare, exasperated breath of sound. "I'm going to turn around, now."

He raised his hands slowly-oh so slowly-and did as he'd said. Incredibly, Berserker allowed him to do so.

In short order, he found himself face to face with his attacker. Scantily clad in the torn pelt of a ghastly black boar with violet markings, she looked like some wild beast out the forest rather than an actual warrior. Fitting, given the way she was glowering at him. Golden eyes shone from a stern face framed by long ashen hair and...were those cat ears? And an actual tail, swaying behind her back? His brain-and the shadows-took a moment to process this, dismissed it as irrelevant, and focused on her face and the profound reaction she gave him.

Instead of attacking, she shrank back, hands flying to her face to mask mute horror.

_"Berserker?" _she whispered.

A blond brow rose in mild confusion.

"No, _I'm_ Archer. _You're_ clearly a Berserker."

Atalanta laughed then, and it sounded almost like...a sob?

"You idiot...look at you. Just what happened to you in your lifetime?"

To his complete, unutterable dismay, his fellow Alter stepped forward, grabbed his face...and kissed him.

**A/N: As ever, I own no references or quotes.**

**Poor Chiron. Though he stood a fair chance against Naruto, he died to treachery and deception. If it wasn't already obvious, it is HEAVILY implied that Atalanta was deliberately obliterating squads of homonculus on the Black Faction turf in an attempt to draw out a Servant. She succeeded...just not in the way she intended.**

** Atalanta on the other hand, well, she's more suited to facing down a teeming mass of shadows up close and personal. **

**Reviews are life, Reviews make me strive, Reviews Keep Me Alive.**

**So, in the Immortal and Eternal words of Atlas...**

**...Do Leave A Review...would you kindly? **

**And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**I have some surprises for you.**

**(Preview)**

_Sisigou smirked._

_"Didn't expect you to bring a girl home."_

_And if the kid looked fit to strangle him for that...worth it._

* * *

_"Drinks?"_

_Shuten-Douji waved cheerily._

* * *

_Merlin beamed. "Why, hello there! Have we met?"_

_Naruto twitched. "For some reason, I want to punch him."_

_"Naruto, no." Berserker snagged his arm before he could. "He's on our side!"_

* * *

_"Ruler, Mordred! At your service! Nice ta meetcha!"_

_...what the actual fuck." an eye twitched. "In what timeline did YOU qualify as a Ruler?!"_

_"Ha?!" those peerless aqua orbs narrowed to thinly concealed slits. "What was that, you shadowy little shit?!"_

_"Ah. There's her real personality...somehow, she's too easy to rile up, even in this form." Archer exhaled with a long suffering sigh and poked her again for emphasis. "And what's with this chest?! Since when were you so STACKED-_

_She clobbered him through a building for that quip._

**R&R! =D**


	3. A Most Unlikely Meeting

**A/N: EDIT: Well, the trolls are back. Look at the reviews. *sigh* pretty sure its a group of people or one very persistent person doing this...**

**...but it hurts. Can't we have peace? Please?**

**T_T**

** May The Fourth Be With You!**

**Please read this, would you kindly? Thank you~!**

**I should have a Star Wars update ready soon given what days it is, but I've got to get to work.**

**This Naruto ain't nice. I've said that the last two chapter, but it needs to be said again. ****Of course the Grail's just about given up trying to suppress Servant memories by this point, so all hell is going to break loose. ****I'm still working on my RWBY stuff but the chapters are so SODDING LONG that they're taking time. Case in point, the last chapter of "An Untraveled Road" was nearly twenty thousand words long. Writing monster chapters like that take a lot out of me.**

**Not to mention my Star Wars stories. Clone Wars was a massive gut punch.**

**Whereas with these? Shorter chapters, quicker to update, but they cover less ground.**

**As I've said before, Berserker!Atalanta hails a from a bad end in A Most Unlikely Berserker. The same applies to Avenger!Jack, Sane!Fran, Grand Semiramis, and Corrupted!Jeanne. Like I said, bad endings. Servants stemming from routes where everything went awry. You'll see these Servants -among others!- pop up in a few stories, but trust me when I say you DON'T want to see those bad endings. They're all written already, but I won't ever post them here.**

**Furthermore, _this _incarnation of Atalanta has her memories from Berserker. Remember. She's from a bad end where just about everyone died.**

**I don't shy away from violence or certain scenes in this story. Its nothing graphic mind you, but this story's a beast of its own. ****In other news****...I just finished the Lostbelt. ****If I wasn't motivated to update faster before I bloody well am now! So many_ feeeeeeeels._ ****In other news, still not feeling well. Not sure if caught the damn virus, but I don't have much energy these days. Been hunkering down and working odd jobs to make ends meet, too. ****Shadow!Naruto's a right blast to write, in part because I don't have to hold back with him. Berserk!Atalanta's a fixture of this story as well, and as such this tale takes on a more centralize role than others.**

**As ever, I own no references, themes or memes. Nor do I get paid for any of this.**

**Reviews are love. Reviews are life. Reviews make me strive.**

**Sorry if its short, but I'm still really sick...**

_"How did we get here? I have memories of you. I knew you so well, and to see you twisted into this..._

_"I. Am not. Berserker. I'll thank you not to call me that again. As to what you said earlier, there's nothing wrong with wanting to live. I don't know you. I don't remember you. I don't think **we** ever met, at least not in the forms we have now. But if you say that we knew each other, if you say that some incarnation of me was something to you, somewhere, somehow...then I'll try and give you the benefit of the doubt."_

_"Just like that? You'd forge an alliance with me so easily on nothing more than words alone?"_

_"Give me some credit here; if you try to stab me in the back, I'll have to kill you."_

_"Not a chance, Ber...I mean, Archer. I won't forsake you. Never."_

_...sooo can I have my arm back now? Please?"_

_"No. Never. Its mine now. I claimed it._

_"For crying out loud..._

_~Berserker and Archer._

**A Most Unlikely Meeting**

_Footsteps heralded Archer's return._

Another, softer pair informed Kairi he'd brought a guest.

An Archer tamed by a Berserker. There was a cruel irony to be had there.

As such, the Necromancer couldn't help but smile as he brought the bottle to his lips and drank. Whiskey was all well and good, but he'd broken out a good bottle for the occasion. This called for a celebration! In less than twenty four hours since his summoning, Archer -Naruto, he reminded himself!- had already slain a Servant and formed an alliance with another. He'd sent him a mental message to warn him of their coming an hour before and now the conquering killer returned with his prize in tow. There was also another Sisigou was drinking, but he wasn't about to spring that on the blond. Not here. Not yet.

When said Servant finally made his entrance he was surprisingly silent, stoic even. The woman on his arm was anything but.

Clad in little more than a black fur pelt with little more than some modest coverings for her bits, she was still a beauty to behold. Ashen violet hair hung down her shoulders, framing a smiling face and hooded golden eyes that took in the crypt with something akin to nostalgia. There was a strange feral grace to her every step, not from tension, but a strange joy he didn't understand. This then, must be Berserker.

"How strange it is," she murmured softly, "To be back here again."

Naruto blew out a breath. "Can we not do this right now? Please? I'm not in the mood."

"Well, would you look at that." Despite himself, the Necromancer grinned. "Didn't expect you to bring a girl home after the first date."

"And I expected you to be somewhat sober upon my return." Archer's scathing retort cut through the dimly lit crypt like a knife. "How disappointing."

In all aspects of life there was bravery, then there was complete and utter foolishness. Kairi Sisigou had become a master of toeing the line between both; years as mage had taught him what he could and could not get away with, and he only dared this much because he knew the measure of his Servant. Naruto was many things; efficient, quick and ruthless to be sure, but he wasn't stupid. Archer or no, he needed him. Just as _he _needed his Servant's prowess if he hoped to win this war and have his wish. Killing one another served no purpose. Baiting, however? That was fun.

And if the kid looked fit to strangle him for that...worth it.

"Eh, I'm used to being a disappointment." he grinned, hefting the bottle. "I summoned you after all, didn't I?"

Sure enough, Archer hissed at him, but didn't make any overt moves toward him. The woman proved another matter altogether.

"Kairi Sisigou." those hooded golden orbs regarded him as full lips quirked into a small smile. "Its good to see you again. You look well."

Alright, now _that_ he couldn't ignore. It was strange enough that this Servant seemed to know this place, but him? That couldn't be possible and it immediately aroused suspicion. It was only the faint sheen of those golden orbs that held him back from making any over moves. She didn't seem happy to see him. Almost...sad. As if she were mourning a long lost friend. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. How he _should _feel about that. So he asked as much:

"Have we met?"

"Once." Her expression turned sorrowful. "In another life. You died well."

Naruto made noise somewhere between a snarl and a squawk and fixed his companion with a murderous glower.

_Urk._

Scowling at the idea of his demise, imminent or otherwise, the old Necromancer knocked the bottle back once more. He didn't want to believe her words; didn't want to trust them. That they rang with truth made them all sting the same. Did that mean he was going to die in this war, too? Nope. Nope nope. Nope nope nope! Lots of nope! Nope sandwich with a big 'ol heaping helping of nope! He wasn't thinking about that! Any of it!

"Setting that lovely tidbit aside," Naruto sighed, brushing past him to snatch one such bottle for himself as Berserker mimicked him, "What's the plan? You said you had one, Atalanta."

Ah. So that was her name.

"Naturally." when he sat she did the same, claiming his lap without so much as a word and laying her head against his chest despite the long-suffering look he gave her. Golden eyes flashed at him over her shoulder and Sisigou though he saw the Alter smile in the faint light. "We kill anything that moves. Together, we'll be unstoppable."

Naruto actually laughed at that; it was a sharp, short noise that sounded as if it hadn't been heard in nearly a year. For once he sounded more surprised than amused.

"Together, huh?" he yawned. "You're really not going to let go of that, are you?"

Her ears twitched. "No. You're mine now. No take backs."

"Now wait just a_-mmrph?!"_

Sisigou didn't laugh when Naruto reared backward; and he certainly didn't laugh when Atalanta welded her mouth against his again. Nor did he laugh when the blond pried himself free, clamped both hands on her hips and held her fast. If he so much as snickered now he knew his life would be forfeit, contract or no. Instead he steered the conversation to safer waters before the madwoman actually tried to _mount_ Naruto. She looked like she was considering it.

"Look, this is touching and all, but we can't just slaughter every Servant we see."

"Of course we can." the woman silenced Sisigou with a flick of the wrist. "I slew Assassin of Black last night and Rider of Red some time before that." she tossed her head, nearly swatting Naruto with her hair when the latter tried to protest. "I believe their trues names were Sasaki Koujirou and Saint Martha. Each put up a fight, but victory was mine." this time, there could no mistaking the small, feral smile that plucked at the corner of her mouth. "Naruto clearly slew another, as I'm sure you well know. That's three Servants dead out of fourteen. We're already well on our way to winning this war."

"You'd kill one of your allies?" Sisigou balked, bringing his own bottle down. "Just like that?"

Naruto looked at him like he'd gone made. "What allies? I don't know any of them. I barely even know _her."_

"Quite right. The weak die. The strong survive." Atalanta tilted her head at him, and actually looked baffled for once. "Is that not the way of your world, magus?" when he didn't readily reply she leaned back into Archer's chest. "Rest assured, I have no allies save the two of you. Nor do I recognize any other faces in this war. Everyone else is an enemy to be slain, unless they pledge their loyalty." perhaps seeing his fear, her eyes widened in mild concern. "Oh, but not you!" She hastened to add with a frantic wave of her arms, "Worry not, I shan't betray your confidence-

"Hey, Necromancer!" a sharp, angry voice arose from the entrance to swallow her words. "We're back!"

Everyone went still. Naruto sat up. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." Sisigou grimaced. "Just the wind-

CLANG!

This time, there could be no ignoring the sonorous noise that came from just outside the crypt. Naruto arched an eyebrow, but whatever he might've said was muffled by the explosion that followed. Little more than a dull _whump_ of sound, it nevertheless blasted a wave of humid air into the crypt. Less so the shout that followed.

"Who put that trap there?! I thought we got rid of these?!"

Atalanta jerked upright at that, with Naruto only half a step behind her.

Sisigou simply deflated. "Well, look at that. They're back. You caught me._ Oh no."_

Each Alter exchanged a baffled look as much at his blatant sarcasm as they did him. "They?"

"Friends of yours." the Necromancer poured himself another drink and knocked it back with a harsh guffaw when both Alters glared at him. "Two of them bulled in here while you were away; said something about the Grail or somesuch and that they were looking for you. Told them to come back tomorrow." He grinned at the blond's resultant scowl. "Guess they didn't listen."

"What did you do?" Naruto blew out an irritated breath.

"Alright, but you can't be mad at me." Sisigou smirked back at him.

"What. Did you. Do." Atalanta leaned forward, head butting against his with a hiss.

"Set up some traps." the Necromancer folded both arms behind his head and smiled smugly. "Not enough to hurt them of course, but still-

_**"NECROMANCER!"**_

With a mighty crunch the door leading to the inner chamber flew from its hinges and sailed at them. Berserker moved to catch the wooden frame, only a for a writhing web of silent shadows to intercept the onrushing door before it could land. It shattered like so much driftwood in their grasp, leaving naught but broken timber behind.

Not so the golden-blue sheathe that came flying through them to strike Naruto on the chin.

Archer went down with a startled yelp as the impromptu missile struck him; as Sisigou looked on the holy weapon actually _boomeranged back_ the way it had first come into the smoke. Berserker had only just begun to manifest her bow when the new arrivals bulled through the wreckage to confront them. Naruto was left squinting through the haze, rubbing his chin. Sisigou sympathized.

What kind of madman threw their sheathe at someone?!

"Greetings, fellow Servants of Red!" a grandiose voice called from within the smoke. "Please excuse our intrusion. I'm afraid her Majesty couldn't wait to meet you."

Three heads tilted as one. "Eh?"

_"Sh-Shut up, Caster!"_

As an irritated Naruto lay reeling on the ground, the haze cleared and he found himself frowning at a hand. Without thinking he seized it and allowed himself to be hoisted to his feet.

Caster of Red, for this man could only be such, proved himself to be a striking young man with pale hair clad in a white robe bearing...flowers of all things. He flashed a small apologetic smile at the befuddled blond as he released him. Distantly, he was aware of another standing behind the mage, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to look away.

"Once more, I must apologies for her behavior." Caster sketched a sweeping bow. "She has quite the temper, you see."

A name came to Naruto then, utterly unbidden.

"Merlin...?"

The man blinked in surprise but beamed nonetheless. "Why, yes!" he tittered softly in surprise. "Have we met? You seem...familiar."

They had. He was sure of it. He remembered that damn grin, that sly smile. Naruto -Archer!- fought down a scowl as he met that cryptic smile. There was something there. More memories, more pain that wasn't his. He'd seen this man's face before. Somewhere. Somewhen. Somehow. He couldn't find any other world for it. An angry spike of agony shoved itself through his skull when he tried to remember. No. Not his memories. Not his. It had nothing to do with him. Yet he couldn't silence the irritation he felt toward this being.

Without warning, his right arm twitched. "For some reason, I want to punch you."

...that's a reaction I'm quite familiar with!" Caster actually dared a laugh. "Please, don't. You might break me."

"Naruto, no." Berserker swiftly nagged his arm when the irritated blond made to do just that. "He's on our side, for now."

"Well, hey!" The woman beside him proved entirely different as she bulled her way into her vision. "I _thought_ I recognized the two of you! Long time no see!"

For reasons Naruto couldn't truly understand, she wore armor in the strangest of places, armor that did nothing to hide her figure beyond at all beyond some greaves and ill advised breastplate over a generous bosom. She was tall, too, standing nearly a head above them all, so much so that she had to stoop to slip into the entrance. Clad in flowing cloth of the purest crimson dashed with blue, she nevertheless looked the part of a warrior. And that was without the burning golden blade she openly wielded at her side. As he looked on she retrieved her sheathe and bound that holy weapon within it once more.

"Who are...?"

"What, you don't recognize me? It me, Mordred!" she beamed back at them. "I'm a Ruler this time around! And you two, ha!" she grinned childishly. "Did ya swap classes or something?"

Atalanta turned incandescent. "Of all the people...why are you here?!"

"Dunno." once more that grin flashed out at them like lightning. "This ain't my body either, but when I saw the shitty drunk back there-

_"Hey!"_

-I remembered things, you know? Things that happened to me, but didn't. Not even sure about this "other" me or nothin' at all." her armored shoulders rose and fell in a shrug -that did interesting things to her chest-, one that immediately swept over a startled Merlin's shoulders. "And then I bumped into this bastard! He looks weak and all, but Merlin's actually really handy in a fight. So I brought him here!"

It made something in Archer's rotten old heart stir. There was something...there. Something -someone?- was shouting deep inside of him, desperately trying to wake up. He remembered a fiery smile and wild laughter as she slapped him on the back. Rough fingers on his face. Warm lips against his. Not his. Never his. And yet...!

Mordred.

Mordred Mordred Mordred MORDRED!

A memory he shouldn't have, an emotion that wasn't his, roared to life.

...what the actual hell." an eye twitched. "In what timeline did YOU qualify as a Ruler?!"

"Ha?!" those peerless aqua orbs narrowed to thinly concealed slits. "What was that, you shadowy little shit?!"

"Ah. There's your real personality...somehow, you're just too easy to rile up, even in this form." Archer exhaled with a long suffering sigh and poked her again for emphasis, drawing a squeak from his fellow blond. "And what's with this chest?! Since when were you so STACKED-

She clobbered him through a wall for that quip.

Naruto didn't crash backward.

_He absolutely flew._

**A/N: As ever, I own no references or quotes.**

**I managed to resit the urge to write RWBY stuff to pump this out, so I hope you appreciate it~!**

**Yes, that's a Ruler!Mordred we saw here. She's OP as hell, gifted Excalibur and Avalon both. Think of her as hailing from an alternate ending of sorts, one in which she was acknowledged by Artoria and led all of Britain into a golden age until her death. She comes for a story we've not seen and one we likely won't see outside of A Most Unlikely Collection. ****I'm not writing anymore new stuff until I wrap up my other stories. Maybe I'll post something there, someday, if enough folks ask for it.**

**Of course the Grail's just about given up trying to suppress Servant memories by this point, so all hell is going to break loose.**

**And now its been revealed that two more Servants died offscreen some time ago. Sorry about that, but it was always part of the plan. Worry not, there won't be anymore off-screen deaths after this, but Servants are going to drop like flies. Hope you're ready for chaos.**

**Reviews are life, Reviews make me strive, Reviews Keep Me Alive.**

**Without reviews, I die. After all, the flames drove me away.**

**So, in the Immortal and Eternal words of Atlas...**

**...Do Leave A Review...would you kindly? **

**And of course, enjoy the previews!**

_**SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! **_

_**READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!**_

**(Preview)**

_"You still want your daughter back, old man?"_

_Sisigou nodded warily, watching Archer's taut shoulders like a hawk. __When the latter raised a hand, the Necromancer offered him a cigarette. The whiskered warrior took it and inhaled deeply before expelling a raw, harsh plume of smoke into the night air._

_...I'm only going to say this once." his Servant grumbled. "When you get her back? Hold onto her. Cherish her. Never let her go."_

_"When?"_

_"You're going to win this war. Even if I have to die for it."_

* * *

_"Hope? There is no hope here. This is an empty box."_

* * *

_"I want to save mankind."_

_Shirou wasn't prepared for the laughter; if only because it was so sudden._

_One moment Archer had regarded him with a blank expression; in the next the young man doubled over with raucous laughter. It burst from the bereft blond in a short, savage bark of sound, one that seemed to swell in the church like the very shadows he commanded._

_"Save them? Mankind? Humanity can't be saved."_

* * *

_Saber gurgled softly. "Why you filthy little..._

_And the shadows came for them._

**R&R! =D**


End file.
